Editorial: Iran still holding out during talks about its nuclear program

Erlanger, Steven. “As Negotiators Ease Demands on Iran, More Nuclear Talks Are Set.” The New York Times, Middle East. Feb 27, 2013.

Editorial: Iran still holding out during talks about its nuclear program

            There have been talks over the the past two days between the Iranian government and the P5+1 group – Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the US – regarding Iran's uranium enrichment program. However, the negotiations have consistently ended with no positive response from Tehran, pushing the six up against a wall with no options except to offer a sweeter deal in order to try and persuade Iran to not go further with its uranium enrichment program.

            While no proof has been found that Iran is definitely enriching their uranium for weapons purposes, the Iranian government has been nothing less than evasive about its acceptance of a sanction relief in return for some effort on their behalf that enrichment procedures will cease.

The UN has again confirmed that Iran's plans of high level uranium enrichment are still going forward at its plant in Natanz, a statement that Tehran still denies. As the West becomes more fearful of the obvious, the big six have caved and dropped their demands that Iran shut down its enrichment plant at Fordo, which happens to be built deep in the mountains.

            As a result of Iran's stalemate stance, the six have now offered Iran the option to simply “suspend” their work there and agree to measures that would make it difficult to make a bomb quickly,  if they ever indeed decided to do so. Even more the six agreed to allowing Iran to keep a portion of the already highly enriched uranium that could easily be turned into bomb-grade material. So this is what happens when you don't cave in, you essentially get your way.

            Last week, the Iran Atomic Energy Organization announced that they had discovered  large amounts of raw uranium deposits and confirmed 16 more sites which Iran continuously claims to be for fuel. If Iran decides to make weapons of mass destruction, this arrangement could leave them with everything they need to do so. Have they not learned anything from 9/11?

Originally, the whole purpose of meeting with Iran was to get the country to comply with  Security Council resolutions and put a halt to all enrichment until it could adequately convince the International Atomic Energy Agency that it indeed had no weapons program and no hidden sites where enrichment was taking place. This idea has been completely blown out of the water and the six are now almost at a state of begging Iran to cease military action.

            The offer to lift the sanctions, which have been claimed to cost Iran about 8 percent of its gross domestic product, has obviously done little to motivate Tehran to stop enrichment procedures. With their presidential elections coming in June, Iran has been in no mood to back down and look weak in these negotiations. According to the six they were forced to come up with a plan that would allow the Iranian government to save face.

            However, the meeting was simply to explain the new deal to the Iranians and the plan still has not been accepted. It could easily happen that when they convene again in April Iran comes back at the council with a counter proposal that no one is willing to accept. So far the sanctions have not been an incentive, the enrichment process has been undoubtedly confirmed, the West has made allowances for Iran to keep a percentage of their “bomb-making” uranium, so at this point what more can be done?

            Although the negotiations are not over yet it does not look good on the horizon. With the six caving daily to meet the desires of the Iranian government, what does that say about their position in the matter. There is still time for diplomacy, with the latest offer made to Iran the situation is not yet fully out of control.  Let's just hope the offer is accepted so all involved can finally put this issue to rest and go home.